New Delhi: Sick people may face a severe shortage of drugs, thanks to hurried implementation of GST. In its wake, they may have to buy medicines through black market. This warning comes today from Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Chiarman of Biocon, a biotech biggie.

As we wake up to the GST’s midnight launch yesterday (July30), news of its adverse effect on different sectors have started streaming in. Pharmaceutical sector is one of them, most likely to bear the brunt. Mrs Shaw has today reflagged the sick and the sector both. She is having premonitions of impending crisis.

She has said that stockists in the supply chain have refused to stock medicines. That may result into severe shortage of drugs in the market. This crisis may then degenerate into black marketing. She has said that pharma companies are likely to suffer huge loses.

Shaw has said, ‘We have started to feel the pinch as our stockists have refused to stock. She said, ‘I think bigger impact is the drug shortage that patients are going to face and then we are going to have huge impact on price of drug Pharmacies are saying that they are not prepared for the tax reform.’ According to he,r black marketing of medicines would be natural fall out.